Vaccine Safety Net (VSN) Pinterest announcement: Pinterest & Vaccine Safety Net join forces
VSN is a network of websites providing reliable information on vaccine safety. Last year, the social media platform Pinterest stopped showing results for vaccine searches to tackle the spread of harmful misinformation.
In an announcement last week, Pinterest introduced a new search experience involving 200 vaccine-related search terms with the results curated exclusively by internationally recognized health organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the Vaccine Safety Net (VSN)!
Read more about it here: Pinterest & Vaccine Safety Net Join Forces
Good news: A national influenza vaccine program for under 5s!
The Pharmaceuticals Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) has recommended the listing of quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV, Vaxigrip TetraTM) on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for the prevention of seasonal influenza in children aged 6 months to <5 years as well as for individuals who are currently eligible for seasonal influenza vaccination through the NIP in 2020.
ATAGI statement on use of Dengvaxia® for Australians
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has
developed advice for immunisation providers regarding the administration of
Dengvaxia® for Australians. It includes information about the dengue virus, as
well as use, efficacy and safety of the dengue vaccine in Australians.
Dengvaxia® is potentially harmful and should not be used in
people who have never had a dengue infection.
https://www.health.gov.au/news/clinical-advice-atagi-statement-on-use-of-dengvaxiar-for-australians
Victoria's chief health officer is warning pregnant women to protect their unborn babies with the flu vaccination
Hundreds of Victorian babies have been diagnosed with the flu, prompting health authorities to warn pregnant mothers to check their vaccinations are up to date.
Good news for childhood immunisation rates in Australia!
The latest immunisation coverage rates are showing a national figure of almost 95% of Australian 5-year olds being fully immunised, with the coverage rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children leading the way with close to 97%
The Guardian, July 7, 2019: Immunisation rates for Australian children reaches record 95%
Vaccine heroes: promoting vaccines for all
Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network has announced that the upcoming immunisation conference "Vaccine heroes: promoting vaccines for all", will be held in Newcastle, NSW on August 23 and 24, 2019. Topics include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, maternal immunisation, adverse events, travel vaccines, HPV, as well as other immunisation updates. For further information please refer to the link below:
Vaccine heroes: promoting vaccines for all
Get the facts about immunisation- resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
As part of the Australian Government Department of Health's campaign "Get the facts about immunisation", resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have now been developed. For access to these resources please refer to:
MVEC: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander immunisation recommendations
Vaccine Safety Net
MVEC is proud to announce our endorsement as a member of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Vaccine Safety Net (VSN). The VSN represents a global network of websites who adhere to the WHO's criteria for reliable and credible vaccine safety information and resources.
For the full list of Vaccine Safety Net members please refer to the following link: Vaccine Safety Net members.
Instagram and GoFundMe block anti-vaccine campaigns
In a bid to stop the spread of misleading information surrounding immunisation, the online crowdfunding platform, GoFundMe, has recently announced that campaigns aiming to raise money to promote the anti-vaccine movement will be removed from their service.
Similarly, the social media platform Instagram, has also announced that it will be blocking any anti-vaccine hashtags to combat the spread of misinformation across the internet.
For the full stories please see the articles below:
ABC news: GoFundMe bans anti-vaxxers in fight against vaccine 'misinformation'
UPI: Instagram plans to block anti-vaccine hashtags
Defeating the Ministers of Death- a new publication
Professor David Isaacs (Paediatric Infectious Diseases, University of Sydney) has recently published a new book regarding the history of vaccination and the impact on our future health.
We are honoured that this book will be sold at our upcoming Clinical Vaccinology Update (CVU) on Friday 26th April 2019 and Prof. Isaacs will be in person to autograph every book!
So make sure you get your hands on a copy and have it signed!
For more information on how to access this great resource, please follow this link: Defeating the Ministers of Death